Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i In-Fisherman

Last issue I talked about fundamental knots that make life on the water simple and lend high success rates for freshwater fishing. The two simplest and most effective knots for monofilament and fluorocarbon are the Palomar and Trilene. The Trilene is my choice, except for making hook connections for drop-shotting, where the Palomar is preferred. The uni-knot also enters the scene, because it ties up more neatly than the Trilene does in heavier break strengths. Because it affects knot performance, I mentioned the number of wraps necessary to tie the Trilene well with various line break strengths. I also mentioned how vital tieable wire—American Fishing Wire Surflon Micro Supreme—is when fishing in waters with pike and muskies. Wire saves lures, saves fish, allows you to catch impressive fish that might…

Heat Compression Molding A redesign of the classic Bagley Balsa B and Diving Balsa B crankbaits by Jarmo Rapala uses heat compression molding to recapture the original action of the Jim Bagley designs from yesteryear—$7 to $9, bagleybait.com Summer Wear Huk Trophy Series apparel, anti-microbial and stain-resistant, is lightweight poly knit with closed-hole mesh at the armholes, underarms, and lower back, allowing maximum breathability while maintaining sun protection—$49.99 to $59.99, hukgear.com Drinking Water Afield Lifesaver bottles filter 99.9999 percent of viruses, bacteria, cysts, and parasites, providing up to 6,000 liters (6000 model) of clean drinking water in the field, handy for remote settings and emergencies—4000 size, $149.95; 6000 size, $199.99; 2000 size coming soon, iconlifesaver.com 328,382 Stream Maps Stream Map USA is a series of eight regional apps covering every…

About 2,500 years ago, Heraclitus wrote, “It is not possible to step twice into the same river.” Nothing could be more true, but it takes on special significance for fisherfolk. Sandbars move. Trees, still anchored to the bank by a rootball, alter the flow. Ice floes gouge new troughs and grooves. Floods roll rocks and carve new channels. Logjams wash away to be deposited in new locations. Erosion eats at shorelines. Maybe that’s why rivers can be lonely places to fish in summer. Or maybe it’s because low-water conditions typical in summer make every rock a potential outboard assassin. Jet boats are the answer, sometimes—but even those face barriers. If stretches of river have shallow vegetation, stopping to clean the intake can eat up a significant portion of the day.…

On the Night Shift “Man, it’s dark out here,” the kid said. “The sun going down will do that,” Doc said, tipping his chair back, and resting his feet on the pine log railing of the cabin deck. We were once again enjoying a week of fishing at one of Knobby Clark’s Northwest Ontario fly-in lakes. Moments earlier, the flaming yellow orb that makes life on Earth possible had slipped below the jagged treeline. I swear I could hear a steamy sizzle as it extinguished itself a couple thousand miles away in the Pacific. “After a few minutes, the stars will light up this place like Aunt Lucy’s house at Christmastime,” I said. “She goes overboard with decorations, doesn’t she?” the kid said. “You know all those lights that are…

Once a top-secret tactic known only to a handful of guides and touring pros, slow-death rigging has become a go-to presentation for anglers across the Walleye Belt. It’s no surprise, given the uncanny ability of a slowly spinning bait to trigger strikes when other methods don’t. You can also cover water, either in search mode or when syphoning up scattered fish. As the rig rose from obscurity, a number of manufacturers built hooks and rigs aimed at this market, giving anglers more options for giving their riggings a new twist. “Slow-death rigging has been around awhile,” says Minnesota walleye ace Chip Leer. “It was born on the Missouri River system as a way to find and trigger wandering walleyes, and initially centered on a halfnightcrawler threaded onto a kinked Aberdeen…

“WE LOOK FOR HABITAT, NOT FISH” I once stood beside a dam on a midwestern river, talking with a local river rat known for pulling giant flathead catfish from the roiling waters below the dam. He said that his personal best below the dam was good, but nodded toward the sun-dappled waters impounded above the dam. ¶ “The really big ones are up there, in the reservoir,” he said. “But I’ll be darned if I can figure out how to catch them. There ain’t no currents to read, no logjams or holes I can target. Drives me crazy, knowing they’re there but not being able to catch them.” His complaint is common among flathead hunters. Anglers accustomed to reading the subtleties of river currents and visually analyzing logjams to determine…

Since Burger King abandoned its 40-year-old slogan, “Have it Your Way,” it’s been adopted by today’s leaders in reel manufacture. Low-gear-ratio baitcasters continue to be popular for slow-winding crankbaits and other long-cast lures, and we’ve seen models as low as 4.7:1, recalling the iconic Lew’s Speed Spool BB1 of the 1980s. At the other end of the spectrum, we’ve witnessed an arms race as companies seem to be vying for the first double-digit gear ratio in a baitcasting reel. Speed Trends Today Today’s world seems to spin ever faster. So do some bass reels. I recall that when Quantum released its “Burner” baitcaster in 2006, it set the speed standard. Then, at the 2013 fishing industry ICAST Show, the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket raised eyebrows and won fans who appreciated…

Muskie records are embroiled in controversy like no other fish. Most historical lists of the largest muskies ever caught are dominated by a handful of names such as Spray, Lawton, and Hartman. By some accounts, more than a third of the top-50 muskies of all time were registered by these individuals, primarily from the late 1930s to early 1960s. Most of those fish were claimed to be over 60 pounds, with Art Lawton, Louis Spray, and Robert Malo each claiming fish of nearly 70 pounds. Uninitiated muskie anglers might conclude that this was the golden age for record muskies. In reality, many of these fish have since been discredited for various reasons, including not being caught legally (netted, blasted, or bought), being stuffed with water, sand, or metal objects to…

In 2016, we celebrated the 40th year of In-Fisherman’s esteemed Master Angler Awards Program, one of the longest-running awards programs in existence. We certified 393 entries, a little less than last year. The proportion of released fish has continued to grow, hitting 96 percent for the year. For the second year in a row, channel catfish topped the list with 48 entries, followed by smallmouth bass (41), crappie and largemouth bass (40 each), pike (30), and walleyes (23). As usual, award catches included some true giants: How about 38- and 39-inch steelhead from the legendary Quinault River in Washington. And Luke Hentges boated a 55-inch blue catfish in the Missouri River. Then there were pike of 50 inches from Alaska and Wisconsin’s Pewaukee Lake, and one just 1/4 inch shorter…